The Hartford review
Updated June 2026 · thehartford.com
Scorecard
| NAIC complaints | ▾ 0.74–0.81 · 2022–24Complaint index ~0.74–0.81 — fewer complaints than expected for its size |
|---|---|
| AM Best | A+ (Superior) — affirmed July 2025, when AM Best also upgraded the group's issuer credit ratings to 'aa'. |
| Trustpilot | 1.6 / 5 (Low review volume relative to its size (June 2026 snapshot)) |
| BBB | A+ (not accredited) |
| Founded | 1810 |
| Ownership | The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE: HIG); HQ Hartford, Connecticut. |
| Who holds the paper | Pooled subsidiaries led by Hartford Fire Insurance Company; small-business policies commonly issued by Hartford Casualty Insurance Company. |
| Pricing | Quote-based; The Hartford's own published averages are ~$67/mo for GL and ~$141/mo for a BOP; MoneyGeek's 2026 sample averaged ~$83/mo GL — and ranked it #1 on affordability. |
| Availability | Nationwide; the deepest workers' comp operation of the eight insurers we track. |
The claims verdict
The strongest of the eight on hard data. Complaint indices sit below 1.0 across 2022–2024 — fewer complaints than its size predicts — with an A+ (Superior) AM Best rating affirmed July 2025. The real-world friction is operational (workers' comp case management, billing audits, slow comms), not systemic denial of valid claims. If claims behavior is your deciding criterion, this is the benchmark the others get measured against.
What the regulator data says
The cleanest complaint record of the eight: roughly 20–26% fewer complaints than expected for a carrier its size, consistent across 2022–2024 and across sources (the exact figure varies by subsidiary and year — 0.74 for Hartford Casualty, 0.78–0.81 group-wide — but all sit below the 1.00 baseline). NerdWallet found fewer-than-expected GL and commercial-property complaints specifically.
Source: MoneyGeek 2026; NerdWallet 2026 (NAIC data 2022–2024)
What customers report
Themes paraphrased from Trustpilot (1.6 / 5, Low review volume relative to its size (June 2026 snapshot)) and BBB (A+ (not accredited)) — not verbatim quotes. ~211 complaints closed in the prior year with customer reviews near 1/5 — the familiar pattern of a big carrier's letter grade diverging from individual sentiment.
What they love
- Financial strength and 200-year brand stability
- Comprehensive workers' comp plus a full commercial menu from one carrier
- Competitive pricing — MoneyGeek's #1 affordability score in 2026
The gripes
- Workers' comp claim friction: paperwork not forwarded, uninformed caseworkers
- Billing and audit errors — e.g. being charged WC premium for near-zero-hour contractors
- Slow communication in the negative reviews
What practitioners say
Recurring themes from small-business communities and forums, paraphrased:
- The default recommendation for workers' comp among small employers
- Individual claim threads surface slow case management and billing/audit disputes
- Brand trust is high; execution on individual claims is the recurring knock
Best for
Businesses with employees that need workers' comp done properly, plus GL/BOP/commercial auto from one financially top-rated carrier.
Look elsewhere if
Buyers wanting a slick digital-only experience or zero billing/audit friction; the simplest micro-risks may find cheaper digital options.
Coverage offered
- Workers' compensation (its flagship — a top-3 US writer)
- General liability
- Business owner's policy (BOP)
- Professional liability
- Commercial property & business interruption
- Commercial auto
- Umbrella, cyber, EPLI, commercial flood
Scale & who uses them
1.3 million+ small businesses insured (company-stated); top-3 US workers' comp writer by premium.
Decided The Hartford fits?
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Get a quote at thehartford.com ↗Disclosure: some links to insurers may be affiliate links — if you get a quote through them we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. That never changes the data: complaint figures, ratings and review themes are reported as published, sources cited and dated. We are not an insurance agent or broker, and nothing here is advice. How we score
Sources
- https://www.moneygeek.com/insurance/business/the-hartford-review/
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/business/insurance/learn/hartford-business-insurance
- https://www.trustpilot.com/review/thehartford.com
- https://news.ambest.com/pr/PressContent.aspx?altsrc=2&refnum=36182
Review figures reflect snapshots taken June 2026 and change over time. NAIC complaint data is published by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Consumer Information Source; index values cited as facts with attribution. Conclusions are our editorial opinion based on the data disclosed above.